Presented in a stylish 4-CD box set, here is a comprehensive recording of one of the most enigmatic manuscripts in the history of European music, preserved in the museum at the Château de Chantilly, France. ‘Anything that can be sung, can be written in music notation,’ claimed an anonymous treatise on notation in the late fourteenth century. The harmonies thus ‘captured’ on parchment represent an apex in Western music, associated with the wealthiest courts in Christendom, called ‘decadent’ by some.
In addition to being one of Beethovens most emblematic works, the Piano Sonata no.32 op.111 (1821-22) is a manifesto of radical modernity. It begins the process of disintegration of sonata form, a formal pillar for any composer of the preceding century, and introduces in its second movement a new method of constructing the musical phrase, to such an extent that some commentators regard it as marking the first stirrings of jazz. The innovations it presented, particularly in the field of rhythm, left most of the composers contemporaries perplexed. Here is an ideal space for the Aka Moon trio to occupy. It has called on three strong musical personalities for the occasion: the singer Fredy Massamba, who contributes his expressive power as an African storyteller.
The composers known collectively as the Fiamminghi made their mark in Europe in general and in Italy and in France in particular during the 15th century. Their talent and skill gained them the most important positions in the great musical establishments of the time. This collection is devoted to the leading composers of the 15th century, from those of the first generation (Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, Arnold de Lantins and Johannes Brassart) through Johannes Ockeghem, the great master of polyphonic technique, to Josquin Desprez and Pierre de La Rue, two musicians taught by Ockeghem who laid the foundations of the Ars Perfecta during the Renaissance. Also included is Jacob Obrecht, the only composer of this school whose career was based essentially in his native Flanders. Every genre of both sacred as well as secular music of the time is represented here.
Georg Philipp Telemann is one of the composers whose cause Ricercar has always championed with fervour. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of his death, Ricercar now presents a reissue of its vast repertory, which makes up a complete portrait of the output of this inspired contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach: his sonatas, trios, fantasias, concertos and suites written for all sorts of instruments are accompanied by several sacred compositions, cantatas, and a St Matthew Passion which, like a number of other works in the set, is released on disc for the first time.
Two centuries of organ music at the Chapelle Royale, Versailles . . . The recently restored organ of the chapel bears witness to the glorious past of this historic site and the magnificence of the royal liturgy. This project, entrusted to the four resident organists of the instrument, presents a rich panorama of the composers who had the privilege of entering the Versailles organ loft, from the Couperin dynasty to Balbastre. It forms part of a new series produced by Alpha with the Château de Versailles, which will present the fruits of the latest research into the organ repertory in a sumptuous edition.
4 CDs with the very best 90's Party and Retro Classics! The biggest 90's bangers of the 90s from. Fiocco, 2 Unlimited, Gigi D'Agostino, Culture Beat, Snap !, Virtual Zone, Sash, Gala, Vengaboys… I Love The 90's is the ultimate 90's collector. An unforgettable trip to the heyday of the legendary 90's Dance.
It was at Le Concert Spirituel that the Germanicstyle symphony made its appearance in Paris. This story began in the 1750s with the arrival of musicians from Mannheim, including Johann Stamitz, in the French capital. Subsequently, various composers such as the Belgian François-Joseph Gossec appeared as the creators of the earliest French symphonies before Haydn’s symphonies enjoyed a very particular success there. This set, released on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Les Agrémens, takes up most of the recordings conducted by Guy Van Waas in a repertoire bringing together composers played in Paris at the end of the 18th century (Gossec, Grétry, Haydn, Krauss), and announcing the beginnings of the Romantic symphony with two recording premieres: a symphony by Hérold and Beethoven’s Second Symphony.
Albert Ayler (1936-1970) was a jazz genius, whose story has the status of tragic myth – myth which, as often happens,is informed by truth. He pioneered free jazz on tenor saxophone, creating generations of disciples, beginning with John Coltrane. In his ecstatic soundworld, he forged connections between the furthest reaches of 60s avantgardism, and themusic's beginnings in New Orleans, re-igniting its creative impulses. But free jazz was never a commercially viableform: when Ayler died he had won some critical recognition, but none from the jazz public. 1964 was Ayler's annusmirabilis.